Passionfruit

12.

Radio City Music Hall didn't seem like it was meant for something as informal as a singing competition. The main stage was a fairly plain half-circle made of solid, light wood. The thousands of seats sprawling before it, extending upwards towards the back wall with several more tiers, were brilliantly red, the aisles lined with hundreds of circular floor lights. The roof was far above us, lined with thick wooden beams and more dimmed yellow lights.

"Jeez," I said, looking over the seats. One of the main producers for the show, along with one of the employees at the venue, was talking to our group behind me.

Miku nodded. "Yeah. I think Luka played this down a little. It's gonna be on T.V., too," she whispered to me before turning back to the two of them. Our manager herself stood a bit off to the side, listening intently to the instructions.

We were on a tour, of sorts, along with all of the other contestants. Teto was here, walking arm-in-arm with Gumi. Len was here, too, along with his bandmates. Beyond that, however, I knew no one. It wasn't a huge contest, and there were only eight groups in total. Well, some groups, some solo, like Teto.

I looked around at the people I did not know. None of them had made much of an effort to introduce themselves, but, to be fair, we hadn't either. I couldn't tell if they were nervous, shy, or resentful towards us. It was a competition, after all.

And we needed this. For the album.

"You will all enter through the back. If you would be so kind as to follow me-" the employee, a girl with short brown hair pulled back into a ponytail, with comically large glasses and a clipboard, instructed us. Without waiting for an answer, she began walking towards the left side of the stage.

As we began to follow, Luka appeared at our side. "So?" She asked with a smile. "Are you guys excited?"

"This is bigger than Psycho," Gumi pointed out, looking towards the seats.

Luka waved a hand, dismissively. "Of course it is! We don't want you guys performing for the same old crowds, right?"

The three of us exchanged glances.

"I know you're not asking me," Teto said with a small smile. "But I am excited."

Luka sighed. "If only we had found you a few years ago. We could have been TMRG. Or... something."

Ahead of us, TR walked closer to the front of the group, talking amongst themselves. Len walked with his hands in his pockets, head slightly lowered, looking at Fukase as he talked with a giant smile.

I let out a laugh. Our managers are literally opposites.

It had been a few days since our encounter at the gala. Our conversation had been on repeat in my mind the entire time, and while it was a bit more clear what he thought about me, I was still in the dark about what we were going to do about it. We hadn't spoken since that night. There were quite a few times I considered texting him, but what would I say?

Backstage, we passed a massive storage room filled with a random assortment of props, rickety wooden backdrops, and racks upon racks of costumes. A staircase on the side of the room led up to another landing, probably for the stage lights or something. The employee did not stop to talk about the room, so I assumed we would not be using it.

"Hair and makeup," she said quickly, slowing only a moment to point at the door before continuing her brisk walk. I peered into the dark room as we passed, but wasn't able to get much detail. "Each group will need to head there one hour before their performance."

The producer, a man wearing all black with an earpiece draped over his right ear, turned on his heel to address us as well. "Before I forget! The first round is only a few days away. If anyone would like to rehearse on stage, we will be renting out time slots on a first-come, first-serve basis! Managers, please talk to me when we are done if you would like to set up a time!" His voice wavered as he talked as if he had just completed a tough workout. He walked backward as he talked, struggling to keep up with the employee's pace.